Bowl seasons with Atlanta in the 1980s. Years in At

Two Pro Bowl seasons out of four overall Stitched Desmond Trufant Jersey , not bad, not bad."Our Forgotten Falcons series rolls on with tight end Junior Miller, who enjoyed a brief, terrific couple of Pro lanta: 1980-1983Stats: 114 receptions, 1,328 yards, 13 touchdowns, 11.6 yards per reception Why Junior Miller shouldn’t be forgotten Long before Alge Crumpler vacuumed up darts from Michael Vick, longer still before Tony Gonzalez plied his elite route running and hands in service of the Falcons’ offense, and even longer still before Austin Hooper put together a Pro Bowl season for Atlanta, there was Junior Miller. While his name popped up last year several times as Calvin Ridley chased and ultimately broke the rookie record for touchdown receptions, Miller’s contributions to the Falcons have largely faded into the moors of the past. That’s a shame, because Miller put together one of the finest two-year stretches in team history. He was the seventh overall pick of the 1980 NFL Draft for the Falcons, who loved his athleticism Youth Desmond Trufant Jersey , hands and blocking ability for an offense that needed all three. It took no time at all for Miller for make a contribution. In 14 starts in his rookie season, he caught 46 passes for 584 yards and 9 touchdowns, that rookie record that stood for 38 years. For perspective’s sake, that put him fourth on the team in receptions, third in yardage, and first in touchdowns, an excellent showing not just for a rookie but also a tight end. He tied the legendary elder Kellen Winslow for touchdowns, placed eighth in yardage, and was fifth in receptions for the position that season. The future looked extremely bright for Miller, who also made the Pro Bowl.While the touchdown total wasn’t as robust, 1981 was again quality. Miller had another robust year with 32 receptions, 398 yards, and three touchdowns, making his second straight Pro Bowl. Then the wheels came off a bit.Next year Stitched Mohamed Sanu Jersey , Miller played in just nine games owing to injury, putting up 20 receptions for 221 yards and one touchdown. He would play in 15 games in 1983 but started just six of them, finishing his fourth and final year in Atlanta with 16 receptions, 125 yards, and no touchdowns. He played for the Saints in 1984 and then was out of the league the year after, a disappointing end for a career that started with such enormous promise. Despite his extremely short career, Miller still was one of the best tight ends in team history, clocking in behind only Jim Mitchell until the 2000s, when Crumpler, Gonzalez, and now Hooper arrived to push him down the franchise leaderboard. He’s still fifth all-time in team history in receptions for a tight end, fifth in yardage, and fourth in touchdowns, so he probably doesn’t deserve to be a forgotten Falcon. As Hooper gears up to push his way up the franchise leaderboard Youth Mohamed Sanu Jersey , we’ll certainly hope he’ll become the rare tight end who can do what Miller (owing primarily to injuries) could not: Stick around for a long, long time. We come at last to the end. On Sunday, the Falcons will finish off a dreadful 2018 season either with one more disappointing loss and a 6-10 record, or a meaningless (though likely fun) win and a 7-9 record. The difference between those two marks? Jobs, potentially, and also draft position.It’s likely to be a period of sweeping change in the NFC South, which was expected to be one of the NFL’s best divisions again and turned out to be crummy as hell instead. The Falcons were disappointing out of the gate, the Panthers collapsed, and the Bucs are the Bucs as per usual. Only the Saints are any good, and to their credit, they are very good. The Bucs may fire their head coach, the Panthers may follow suit, and the Falcons could fire assistants and sweep out of the cobwebs in a front office loaded with former GMs but lacking in big results the last two offseasons, with a handful of notable exceptions. Hell Stitched De’Vondre Campbell Jersey , the Saints could conceivably lose Drew Brees if he decides to hang it up, though that’s a long shot.Look for plenty of passing in this one and two stubborn coaches playing starters for as long as they can pretend this one matters. Here’s what you’ll need to know to watch. Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay BuccaneersWhen: Sunday, December 30, 1 p.m. ESTWhere: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FloridaChannel: FOXRadio: 92.9 The GameAnnouncers: Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth, Jennifer HaleStreaming: FOXSportsGoPrediction: Falcons lose, 27-24Key Questions: Will the Falcons get Dirk Koetter fired with a win? Will Atlanta be able to continue a run of solid defense against a Tampa Bay offense that is capable of playing some very good football games? Will the offensive line hold up for the third straight week, despite an imposingish front seven in Tampa Bay. Opponent Site: Bucs Nation Twitter: @TheFalcoholicFacebook: www.facebook.com/TheFalcoholic2018 Falcons Schedule (6-9)Week 1: Falcons @ Eagles, Thursday Night Football - LossWeek 2: Falcons vs. Panthers, WinWeek 3: Falcons vs. Saints, LossWeek 4: Falcons vs. Bengals, LossWeek 5: Falcons @ Steelers Youth De’Vondre Campbell Jersey , LossWeek 6: Falcons vs. Buccaneers, WinWeek 7: Falcons vs. Giants, WinWeek 8: BYE WEEKWeek 9: Falcons @ Redskins, WinWeek 10: Falcons @ Browns, LossWeek 11: Falcons vs. Cowboys, LossWeek 12: Falcons @ Saints, LossWeek 13: Falcons vs. Ravens, LossWeek 14: Falcons @ Packers, LossWeek 15: Falcons vs. Cardinals, WinWeek 16: Falcons @ Panthers, WinWeek 17: Falcons @ Buccaneers, Sunday December 30 1:00 p.m.